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Michael Sam will face a daunting set of challenges that most rookies don’t have to deal with
when making the already formidable jump from college to the NFL.

The defensive end out of Missouri is about to find out whether America’s most popular sport,
rooted in machismo and entrenched in locker room hijinks, is ready for its first openly gay
player.

Amid a media circus, Sam will have to find acceptance among teammates like he did at Missouri,
where his sexuality was a non-issue during a 12-2 season. Now, though, he will face opponents and
their fans who know he’s gay. He might even face cheap shots and teammates hesitant to shower
alongside him or undress in his presence.

Although several teams, players and coaches said yesterday that Sam’s sexual orientation wouldn’t
affect his draft status, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who contends that his championing of gay
rights led to his release from the Minnesota Vikings last year, isn’t so sure.

“The majority of players will be supportive of Michael Sam, or just won’t care,” Kluwe said. “
You’ll have isolated guys here and there who might try to make a fuss, but players by and large are
very much, ‘Hey, we’re here to do a job, we’re here to go out and play football.’

“In terms of the coaching/front office side, I think there is where the issues are going to
arise because they are going to look at this like, ‘Hey, is this going to cause a distraction for
the team?’ And by distraction, they mean, ‘We’re not really OK with having a gay player on our
team. We can’t come out and say that, so we’re going to use the word
distraction.’ And unfortunately, those are the people who determine if you’re employed or
not.”

Several coaches said that if a player is accountable and a winner, than being gay isn’t an
issue.

“If anybody can come in and help us win games and be successful … I don’t think it matters,”
Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said.

Former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley agreed that Sam’s performance on the field and
as a teammate should quickly overshadow any stereotypes.

“Once he establishes himself as the kind of teammate he’s going to be, I think everybody will
accept it fine,” Cooley said.

Before Sam revealed his sexual orientation, the pass-rusher was projected as a mid-round draft
pick.

Kluwe said reports that Sam’s draft stock could drop because he revealed his sexual orientation “
basically could have been lifted from any American sporting paper in the 1940s when Jackie
Robinson was about to enter major league baseball. It’s like we’ve been here before. Why do we have
to keep doing the same thing?”